56

Mika glanced around the hall to make sure we were still alone. “Because, Wyatt, the reason I rejected her is that she cheated on me. Fucked another guy, and I caught them. In the act. Butt-ass naked. He had her bent over, screwing her brains out, and…she was fucking loving it, man. Made me want to be sick.”

My heart hurt for the dude, but that still didn’t explain why he’d been sent here. “Bro, that still means she’s a cheating bitch of a reject. You have no reason to–”

“It was my father,” Mika growled, tears in his eyes. “It was my father who was fucking her. He’d been fucking her since we first met. Nearly a year. Happy now? He got pissed that I rejected her because he wanted to keep banging her. His own daughter-in-law.”

A heavy stone formed in my stomach. I knew how fucked-up the upper packs could be. All that power and money did weird things to people, as my own history with my old pack showed. But this? This was a whole new level of fucked-up.

“Holy shit, Mika. What the hell?”

Mika shoved past me, wiping his eyes. “I’m going to get something to eat.”

I stared after him. I looked back at the bunk room. How many of the other men had been forced to come here? Kira and Mika might not have been the only ones offered up for sacrifice by their packs. I gritted my teeth. I really hated this fucking show.

I needed to get closer to all these guys, whether I liked it or not. If any of them had similar stories, it could change things. I needed to figure out their motives. Were they here for money, fame, or to get into the pants of a hot shifter chick? Or were there other things at play that forced them to come on the show? I’d have to do some digging.

Cameras followed us as we headed out to the fancy outdoor seating area. The cameras were silent and stayed far enough away that they weren’t directly in our sightline, but it still pissed me off that the damned things followed me everywhere.

We took our seats as the sun rose over the trees of the island. There was a massive spread of food ready for us, and several guys had already grabbed plates and glasses of orange, pineapple, or mango juice. My nerves had destroyed any appetite I might have had, but coupled with the lack of sleep the night before, I forced myself to eat a waffle and some fruit to fuel my body for the day.

After eating, I pushed my plate aside and grabbed my cup of coffee when Kira came out the doors. My mouth went dry when I saw her. I wanted to kill Zoe for what she’d dressed her up in. The tight fitness leggings were more than paper thin, showing off every curve of her lower body. A tiny tank top covered a sports bra, revealing the flat skin of her belly.

The other alphas had seen her, and I didn’t like the leering looks they gave her. She was fully clothed, but the items left little to the imagination.

Kira moved through the group, giving flirtatious smiles to each guy who came up to wish her a good morning. She went so far as to put a palm on Nathaniel’s chest and laugh at a joke he told her. I could almost see his cock swelling in his pants at the touch.

Kira was more genuine when she greeted J.D., Abel, and Ryan. She seemed to actually like those three guys. I had to admit that they, along with Leif, were the ones I’d pegged as the least dangerous of the group.

Standing, I eased my way over to the breakfast buffet. Kira was making a plate, and I refilled my coffee and cream. Omar sidled up next to her while I busied myself.

“Let me get that for you,” Omar said, taking Kira’s plate and adding pastries, fruit, and cured meats to it.

“Oh. Thank you. You’re sweet.”

I rolled my eyes and glanced over. Omar was sporting a shit-eating grin.

“Did you sleep well?” Kira asked him. “I had a hard time with all the noise outside.”

Omar handed her plate back to her, then trailed a finger over her forearm. “I would have slept much better with you beside me, exhausted, covered in sweat, and ready to drift off in each other’s arms.”

Kira put a hand on his arm and laughed. I grinned to myself. Her laugh was so fake. Even Kira couldn’t completely stay in character for something as corny as that.

Kira took a seat at the big table. The only open seat was beside the alpha named Tate. He looked pleased that he’d positioned himself in such a good spot on accident.

Before I could have a word with Kira to get on camera with her, Von arrived with a cadre of more hovering cameras. The floating orbs sped off to capture the morning at a dozen different angles.

Von looked a little ridiculous. He wore a Havana hat and dark sunglasses. Above him floated a bewitched umbrella that hovered and tilted with each movement to ensure the sun stayed off his sensitive vampire skin.

“Good morning, everyone. I trust we all had a fun night?” He lowered his sunglasses and winked at Kira. “We begin today with a glorious challenge that will be highly dangerous.” The thought seemed to turn him on. “And it will be exactly what our fans want to see on the first full day on the island. It will test your limits. It will push you to extremes. It will also most definitely thin the pack a bit, so to speak.”

The mood at the table shifted instantly. Gone was the jovial feeling of enjoying breakfast. Our lives were on the line, and we were about to undergo something that would more than likely kill one or more of us. The tension could be cut with a knife, and Von reveled in it.